Hi,<\/p>\n
They say that life experiences change people. You know about Superstorm Sandy? Well, I was lucky. It didn\u2019t get me bad, just some flooded streets. But my mom lost power for a while. And other people were hurt much worse. Those people’s lives were forever changed by a natural disaster. It was a horrible life experience for them. But now they have a chance to start over and\u00a0make changes.<\/p>\n
Divorce changes people. Have you ever known anyone who got divorced (or gotten divorced yourself)? Then you know that divorce definitely changes people. Two people that may have been in love at one time now may hate each other, or at least have nothing good to say about each other. They’re different people now. They may be bitter.<\/p>\n
Changing careers can change a person as well. They may have to adapt to a whole new way of\u00a0doing things than they did at their other job. And aging definitely changes people. All their life experiences combined change them from who they were at one time to who they are now.<\/p>\n
We are all the result of our life experiences. Good and bad. Having children, for example.<\/p>\n
Somehow, being responsible for a small baby changes people. For one thing, it makes them more serious and responsible. They want to be a good parent, so they change into one.<\/p>\n
Other experiences change people, too. Finding out that you have an incurable disease can\u00a0really change you. Like bipolar disorder. It can bring with it changes, which can be for better or for worse.<\/p>\n
Okay, let’s talk about the down side first. Your loved one may become a different person<\/p>\n
because of the disorder. They are definitely different when they go through episodes as opposed to when they are in a normal period. If your loved one gets depressed, they are not the same\u00a0person you usually know. They may be sad, lose interest in things, feel helpless and hopeless, or even talk of suicide. Of course this is a bad experience. If your loved one gets manic, they also experience changes. They may be more energetic and\/or be excessively happy, which sound like they would be good things, but for someone in a bipolar manic episode, they aren’t. They may become very impulsive, do risk-taking behavior, and make bad decisions. So a manic episode is a bad experience as well.<\/p>\n
However, let’s look at the other side of the coin. Yes, bipolar disorder does change a person, but\u00a0sometimes it’s for the better. For one thing, now you have a reason for why your loved one said and did the things they did. Bipolar disorder can make a person more determined. Many people refuse to let the disorder rule their lives, so they do what they can to be in control of it instead\u00a0of it being in control of them. Bipolar disorder can make a person take more responsibility\u00a0for themselves. Many people, bound for stability, will make the necessary life changes to insure that stability. They will take medication, go to see their doctor, psychiatrist, and therapist on a regular basis, learn stress reduction techniques, eat a healthy diet, get better sleep, exercise,\u00a0etc.<\/p>\n
Bipolar disorder can also change your loved one into someone who may have been a pessimist before, but now is an optimist, believing that they can recover from the disorder.<\/p>\n
All our life experiences change us. But it’s up to us whether they change us for the better or\u00a0for the worse.<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi,<\/p>\n
They say that life experiences change people. You know about Superstorm Sandy? Well, I was lucky. It didn\u2019t get me bad, just some flooded streets. But my mom lost power for a while. And other people were hurt much worse. Those people’s lives were forever changed by a natural disaster. It was a horrible life experience for them. But now they have a chance to start over and\u00a0make changes.<\/p>\n
Divorce changes people.<\/p>\n